The General Election campaign has seen a call for London commuters’ fares to be frozen. The Liberal Democrats say that the nationwide move would save those travelling in and out of the capital as much as £200 over the next financial year.
The party is aiming to convince traditionally loyal Tory voters in the Home Counties to switch their allegiance on July 4. Lib Dem leader, Sir Ed Davey, told the Evening Standard: “Across the Blue Wall, commuters have borne the brunt of Conservative chaos, with the price of train tickets soaring whilst services have gotten worse.
“In the midst of a cost of living crisis, it is disgraceful that everyday passengers are having to pay more for trains which are increasingly delayed or cancelled.”
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But this comes after the party’s candidate for London’s mayoralty, Rob Blackie, denounced Sadiq Khan’s freezing of Transport for London (TfL). The Mayor of London assigned £123 million in the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) budget, before he was re-elected on May 2, to keep pay as you go London Underground, DLR, Overground, Elizabeth line and bus prices the same until at least March 2025.
You can read about exactly how this works and which services are included here.
Mr Blackie said on January 19: “Sadiq Khan’s flashy fare freeze fools no one. It is typical of a Mayor who prefers delivering headlines to delivering for Londoners. We all know the state of Transport for London’s finances and so the Mayor will simply claw this back through other means – most likely after votes have been cast. It is simply an election year gimmick.”
TfL freeze ‘disproportionately benefit tourists at the expense of investment’
Now, Mr Blackie has said he is backing his party’s version of the policy. He told MyLondon: “If national government pays for something that benefits London commuters that’s great! I objected to the TfL single Tube fares freeze because, unlike this, it was something that would disproportionately benefit tourists at the expense of investment.”
Mr Khan has not ruled out another freeze next year. After being asked by MyLondon in January if the mayor could end up having to increase prices in 2025 more than he would have had to have done if he did not freeze them this year, the mayor’s office hinted that the measure could be extended.
Khan ‘supporting London’s families through the cost-of-living crisis’
A spokesperson for Mr Khan said: “The mayor’s track record on fare freezes speaks for itself. “This is the fifth time that Sadiq has frozen TfL fares and previous fare freezes were brought in with careful financial management, not passing costs to passengers elsewhere.
“The funds identified for this year’s fare freeze have also been allocated in the budget for future years. The mayor will continue to do all he can to support London’s families through the cost-of-living crisis and to support London’s wider economic recovery, building a better and more prosperous city for all Londoners.”
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